Weekly Register-Call/ Gilpin County News

9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

Firefighters from five different states and 48 individual departments gathered in the basement of the Qwest building (1801 California Street) in downtown Denver last Friday morning, September 11, 2009. Among them were High Country Fire Protection District’s (HCFPD) Jacob Vassar and Jim Swenson. They were there to climb the stairs.

343 New York City firefighters perished while saving others after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. In 2005, five firefighters from the Denver and Castle Rock Fire Departments created the Memorial Stair Climb as a way to pay tribute to their fallen brothers, reinforce their commitment to stay physically and mentally prepared to protect others and to show themselves and others, “We will Never Forget.”  In the Memorial Climb, firefighters climb 110 stories, the same as the World Trade Center buildings, most opting to wear full turnout gear, the same as the fallen firefighters and carrying the same equipment. It’s 55 stories from the basement to the roof of the Qwest building, so when they get to the top the first time, the firefighters take the elevator back down and do it again. Some opt to make the second climb breathing through a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) connected to oxygen tanks on their backs. That simulates what New York firefighters had to do when they arrived at a fire floor. Climbing is harder, “on air” because it restricts breathing. The firefighters encourage each other as they climb. Supporters hang posters and signs, many saying “Thank You,” along the stairwell walls. Employees of the offices greet the firefighters at some landings, applauding and cheering them on. When they arrive at the roof, people who work at the building have cold towels and water waiting for them. The firefighters cool off, rehydrate and share the camaraderie with others who know what it is to walk in their shoes.

The event, originally held at 1999 Broadway, moved to the Qwest building in 2006 with twelve firefighters making that climb. By 2007, there were several hundred signed up and in 2008, the organizers capped participation at 343, matching the number fallen to a man. The climb, restricted to firefighters only, is not a race. The goal is just to get to the top-twice. Each one making the climb was given a badge with the name and photograph of a fallen firefighter to carry on the way to the roof. They were sent off in groups at staggered start times, but before the first company headed out, a prayer was said in the basement and the organizer gave a short speech. “He asked everyone to look around at the 343 firefighters that were there and think about how they had all died in a matter of seconds,” Vassar said. He described the moment as sad at first, but then one of being proud to honor them. Thomas Hetzel from Ladder 13 was the fallen firefighter on his badge.

Vassar and Swenson began training for the event at the beginning of the summer and they trained hard. Vassar, at about 165 pounds, is the larger man. He and Swenson donned their bunker gear to climb the stairs at HCFPD Station 2 and sometimes trained on the stairs to the Fritz Peak observatory platform near Rollinsville. Their coats, pants, boots, helmets, masks, oxygen tanks and assorted accompanying gear add about 60 pounds. “We trained the first week in shorts and tennies-and it was hard,” Vassar recalled. Then they added gear until, just a couple of weeks before the event, they were climbing in full gear with an additional 45 pounds of fire hose slung over their air tanks. The two used GPS technology to determine the observatory climb was equal to about 4 ½ stories of a commercial building. Each time, their goal was to climb it 24 times to simulate the 110 stories they would do in the actual event. The morning after training, well, sometimes he was “a little stiff getting out of bed,” Vassar admitted. Swenson is a runner who stays in shape running the mountain roads of his neighborhood. Fellow firefighter, John Carder, said when a fire call comes in, he sometimes picks Swenson up somewhere along the road on the way to the station-from wherever he is on his run. Swenson has been with HCFPD for nine years; Vassar for 2 ½. Both are highly respected by HCFPD Chief Richard Bulich who said he sponsored their participation through HCFPD. “These are two really great guys and they are leading our fire department in calls and training,” said the Chief.